Beethoven's Sixth
by cumberland river relic
Summary: In Episode 7x15, "Out With Dad," Daphne shows a flicker of interest when it first appears that Niles and Mel will not be spending Valentine's Day together. What if Daphne and Niles went out the next day? Story reloaded.
1. Chapter 1: Two Free Tickets

*******Beethoven's Sixth*******

Summary: In Episode 7x15, "Out With Dad," Daphne shows a flicker of interest when it first appears that Niles and Mel will not be spending Valentine's Day together. What if Daphne and Niles went out the next day?

*******Author's Notes*******

I do not own the TV show Frasier. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. I get no compensation from it.

All during the second half of the seventh season of _Frasier_, Daphne Moon was portrayed as a conflicted woman - one who was developing feelings for Niles Crane while still engaged to Donny Douglas. On top of that, at least on the surface Niles had moved on. Scattered among these episodes were big and small hints of Daphne's growing affection for Niles.

One such instance - a very, very brief one - occurred in episode 7x15, "Out With Dad." At the beginning of the episode, Frasier mentions that he and Niles are going to the opera. Daphne quickly seizes on the idea that Niles is not seeing Mel on Valentine's Day ("So Dr. Crane's not spending the night with Mel?"). Of course, Mel changes her plans to be with Niles so Frasier "drafts" his father Martin to go the opera with him. And of course that sets in motion the main plot involving Martin's mis-representation of himself.

What if Daphne had tickets to another event the next day?

This story functions as a large-size episode tag for episode 7x15 and another episode described in the Author's Notes at the end.

Daphne, Niles, and Martin narrate the story in turn.

******* "Two Free Tickets" - Daphne's narration*******

Just when you think things are getting dull around the Crane household, something always comes up to make life interesting.

Mr. Crane gay? And dating a man young enough to be his son? It still brought me a laugh the next day, although I was sorry for Niles (in my mind I always call Dr. Crane "Niles") getting mixed up in that. My sympathy did not extend to Mr. Crane though. He had caused his own trouble.

Breakfast the next morning proved more interesting than usual. First, there were the flowers that Mr. Crane received from their guest Edward. It was so hard to stifle my laughter that I finally gave up. By that time Mr. Crane was ignoring me since he was on the phone with Niles.

Second, Dr. Crane (Frasier) came out of his room quite chipper so I assumed he hadn't ruined things with his new lady friend yet. He wolfed down his food and made for the door.

"Dad, Daphne. I've got a date with Emily tonight! We're going to dinner and the opening of the Picasso exhibit at the museum. Don't wait up for me!"

I nodded while clearing away the dishes, and Mr. Crane waved to his son while he was now talking on the phone with his friend Duke. While I was loading the dishwasher I heard Mr. Crane call out.

"Hey, Daph. Don't put all the food away yet. Niles is coming over for breakfast."

My heart leaped. Niles was coming over! I went to the kitchen entrance to look over at Mr. Crane.

"Mr. Crane, what I am supposed to whip up on such short notice? I wish you had told me your son was coming over sooner."

"Daph, it's just Niles. He's had breakfast with us hundreds of times. Just bring that cereal and fruit back out." Mr. Crane eyed me with that police detective look of his, but in a moment he went back to his phone call with Duke.

Everything Mr. Crane said was true. It's just that since I found out about how Niles had felt about me, I looked at him in a new way.

"All right, Mr. Crane. I still wish you had let me know sooner though." All I got out of him was a grunt so I went back into the kitchen. Once there I used my reflection in the oven door to touch up my hair.

In a few minutes Mr. Crane called out to me again.

"Hey, Daph. Have I got a deal for you. Come out here."

Wiping my hands I went back into the living room. I couldn't resist playing the skeptic.

"A deal? This sounds ominous."

"No it's not. You like classical music, don't you?"

"I guess. Why?"

"Duke's giving me two tickets to that symphony concert tonight."

"Why to you?"

"Because he can't stand classical music. We figured that I could come closer to finding someone to enjoy the concert. And you heard that Frasier already has plans for tonight."

"What about your friend Edward?"

Too soon, too soon, too soon to be making a joke about that. Mr. Crane scowled at me.

"Be serious. How 'bout it, Daph?"

When I thought about it the idea of an elegant evening out sounded like fun. Donny was still out of town but among Roz and my other friends surely I could find someone to go with me.

"OK, Mr. Crane, I'll take you and Duke up on those tickets. Now I just have to find someone to go with me." At that instant the doorbell rang.

Niles had arrived! When I opened the door for him, my speech left me. That had been happening since Christmas when I learned the big secret about Niles. It seemed like my emotions kept running wild, and it didn't help that Niles was standing there in his neatly pressed suit and shirt. To top it off, he was wearing the blue tie I gave him for his last birthday. My heart pounded but at last I got a greeting out to him.

"Good morning, Dr. Crane. You're looking dashing this morning." Dashing? When did I start sounding like some star-struck school girl?

"Daphne, if I look anywhere near decent it's because of you. It's your tie that makes the outfit. Thank you again for your present and your good eye in picking it out. This tie has become my favorite. And by the way you look especially radiant this morning."

Why had it taken me so long to see how charming my friend was? And attentive? And caring? I cursed my lack of awareness.

"Hey, Niles. Did you take Mel to the airport already?"

"Yes, Dad. She's giving a talk at that medical conference this afternoon. She's planning to be back tomorrow."

Something stirred in me but I wasn't exactly sure what or why. We walked over to the kitchen table and sat down with Mr. Crane. While Niles ate, his father and I drank coffee.

"Well, you know what son. You and Frasier aren't the only ones getting a little high culture around here. Daphne's going to the symphony tonight."

"Tonight?" Niles looked at Mr. Crane and me with something akin to what? Wonder?

"Yeah, tonight."

"The symphony hall here in Seattle?"

"Here. Not Portland, not Vancouver, here in Seattle."

Niles focused on me now.

"Daphne, I must say that I'm envious."

"I'm looking forward to it. Your father's friend Duke is giving me two tickets."

On hearing the source of my tickets, Niles looked puzzled but he recovered.

"I congratulate you. That concert has been sold out for months. I know because I desperately tried to get a ticket when I found out the program. They'll be performing Tchaikovsky's violin concerto in the first half and Beethoven's Sixth symphony in the second half. You and Donny will be in for a real treat."

A thought struck me. Before I had time to let fear take over, I blurted it out.

"Dr. Crane. Donny is still out of town. Would you like to go with me?"

For a moment his mouth hung open without a sound. Finally some words did come out.

"Da-Da-Daphne, I don't know what to say."

"Say 'Yes' Niles," Mr. Crane said. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder and nodded at him.

I flashed a hopeful smile to Niles. Niles smiled back at me.

"Yes, Daphne. I'd love to go."

When I heard, I couldn't help myself. Jumping up, I clapped my hands.

"Oh, I'm so excited! My best friend is going with me to the concert! We'll have so much fun!"

I looked back at Niles and he was beaming now. So was Mr. Crane, which surprised me.

"Shall I pick you up for dinner before the concert? It's the least I can do in return."

"That's even better, Dr. Crane. How about at six?"

"Perfect. Now if the two of you will excuse me, I need to get to my office. Until this evening then?"

The rest of the morning I felt like I was gliding across the breezes instead of trudging across the floor of the apartment. I was going out! With Niles! Even if we were fated to be merely friends, we were best friends. All day I kept replaying the look of joy that I had seen on his face and it warmed my soul. It also seemed that Mr. Crane was in an especially good mood.

"Daph, I haven't seen you this excited in a long time. If I'd known music did that to you, I'd have brought my harmonica back out a long time ago. Have you ever heard me do 'Lady of Spain'?"

"Mr. Crane, I appreciate the tickets and I love you, but if you retrieve your harmonica from storage there'll be one more homicide for your old colleagues from the police force to deal with."

Mr. Crane laughed but then gave me one of those inscrutable looks of his, like he was still the detective taking the measure of a suspect.

At mid-day while I was preparing a light lunch for us, I walked into the living room and overheard Mr. Crane on his phone.

"...Yeah, that's a great idea. I understand now why you left so soon. She'll like that."

Mr. Crane looked up and saw me. Panic flashed across his face but he quickly got off the phone.

"Our sandwiches are ready, Mr. Crane. And just for today, I put some regular mayonnaise on yours, not the low-calorie stuff. But this is a one-time-only event."

"Wow, you are in a good mood, Daph."

"Like I said, don't count on this every day, old man." I swatted him playfully on the shoulder.

After lunch, Mr. Crane and Eddie excused themselves for a walk. While out, Mr. Crane said he would swing by to collect the tickets from Duke. That was just as well with me, I planned to take extra care in getting ready for the evening and I'd feel better without having anyone else around.

Eventually I decided on one of my red dresses - Dr. Crane always seemed to like me wearing red so I was happy to oblige.

Six o'clock couldn't come fast enough. The anticipation made me tingle with delight.


	2. Chapter 2: Out With Niles

*******Beethoven's Sixth*******

Summary: In Episode 7x15, "Out With Dad," Daphne shows a flicker of interest when it first appears that Niles and Mel will not be spending Valentine's Day together. What if Daphne and Niles went out the next day?

*******Author's Notes*******

I do not own the TV show Frasier. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. I get no compensation from it.

******* "Out With Niles" - Daphne's narration*******

Have you ever been so nervous before an event that you get ready early and just wait? And fidget? That was me. I was ready at 5:30 which left plenty of time to resmooth my dress, adjust my hair, and check my make-up. Mr. Crane noticed all my gyrations but said nothing. Of course I also had to look in my pocketbook three times to make sure that the tickets were in there.

Finally the doorbell rang and I sprang from the sofa. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mr. Crane smile. If he only knew the real reason I was so nervous and so happy.

When I opened the door the sight of Dr. Crane floored me. He had changed from his "work" suit to a navy jacket with tan slacks. The blue tie from this morning was gone, but he had replaced it with a beautiful red tie - a tie that I had gotten for him two Christmases ago.

"Oh, hello, Dr. Crane. Don't you look spiffy tonight?" Where did "spiffy" come from? I really was turning back into a teenager. One from the Victorian Era.

Niles appeared to be chocked up. Perhaps his allergies had acted up on him again. Finally he spoke in a halting voice.

"Daphne, you're a vision."

I could not control the blush that came over my face, but I patted his arm and smiled. He walked into the apartment. In one hand was a box and Niles held it out to me.

"What? For me? You didn't have to do anything for me, Dr. Crane."

"Daphne, this is the least I could do. You don't know what this concert means to me."

I took the box from Niles and opened it. Now it was my turn to be chocked up. Inside was a delicate hand-painted unicorn figurine made of porcelain. The unicorn was standing like a human and playing a violin. Tears came to my eyes.

"It's beautiful. Oh, thank you. This will have a special place in my collection." I reached for Niles and hugged him tight. I must have caught him off-guard for a moment since his arms were limp against his sides, but then they encircled me. If it were possible Niles squeezed me tighter than I did him. We stayed like that for I don't know how long until I noticed Mr. Crane staring at us. That brought me back down to earth and I relaxed my grip on his son.

"I knew you loved unicorns, and this little fellow looked like he belonged with your collection, especially considering the concert tonight."

"He does, Dr. Crane. As a matter of fact, he'll have the most prominent spot. I'll be back in a jiffy." I made my way to my room and put the unicorn not on the shelf with the others but on the bedside table. That way I would see him every time I woke up. When I returned Niles and his father were talking about Beethoven.

"I remember you playing that Beethoven piano sonata when you were a child."

"'Tried to play' would be a better way to describe it, Dad."

"You did fine. You really loved Beethoven."

"Still do, Dad. That's why I'm so excited about tonight."

I walked up beside Niles and he grinned at me. As we headed out the door, Mr. Crane said something that reminded me of when Niles and I had gone to the Snow Ball together years ago.

"Now you be sure and get her home before too late, young man."

"But Dad. She's the one with the tickets!"

We all laughed as Niles closed the door as I pressed the button for the elevator.

Niles had gotten reservations at the foremost French restaurant in Seattle, quite a fancy place. Even with my nerves, we soon settled into the comfortable back-and-forth talk that I so loved with Niles. After discussing the weather, the decor around our table, and the odds of how long Frasier would be dating Emily (neither of us thought it would go past three dates at most), Niles got a more serious look on his face.

"Daphne, again, I can't thank you enough for the opportunity to go with you to this concert."

"Nonsense. It should be me thanking you. I don't remember the last time we did something together, just the two of us."

Niles looked wistful for a moment and took two beats before he spoke again.

"But you don't know my history with Beethoven."

"I heard you talking with your father about playing one of his piano pieces."

"Yes, but tonight is special. Beethoven's Sixth is my absolute favorite of his works."

Now I began to see better why Niles was so excited.

"I've heard it a few times. It's quite good."

"When I was a boy, Frasier told me that Beethoven's Fifth was his favorite symphony."

I laughed and imitated the first notes of the Fifth.

"Dee-dee-dee-dum. It's most people's favorite I imagine."

"But you know how Frasier and I have always competed. Well, he had claimed the Fifth so I had to find something else."

"And that's where the Sixth came in?"

"At the start, yes. Just to be different from Frasier. But quickly I became obsessed with it. It's beauty captivated me."

"I'm glad we're going tonight. I've also heard the Tchaikovsky piece several times and love it."

When I said that, Niles chuckled.

"It's serendipity that one of his pieces is on the program tonight. You might say Tchaikovsky led to Beethoven's Sixth becoming my favorite."

"How so?"

"Did Dad ever tell you about my spelling contests when I was growing up?"

Mr. Crane certainly had. It was a point of pride for him that Niles went to the national spelling tournament.

"You did quite well from what I heard."

"And I owed it all to Tchaikovsky - and my Mom and Dad. When I first started to practice spelling, they challenged me to learn to spell Tchaikovsky."

"I'm not sure I would want to attempt it even today, Dr. Crane. I'd mess up trying."

"Mom and Dad said that if I could spell Tchaikovsky, they would get me my very own recording of Beethoven's Sixth. No more having to listen to Mom's scratchy record or having to check out a copy from the library. That was a huge incentive for me."

"And so you learned to spell Tchaikovsky."

"And the next day Dad brought me the vinyl record with the Sixth. I still have it as well as ten other recordings."

"My, you are obsessed."

"I listen to the Sixth at least once a month."

"How many times have you seen it performed in person?"

"Tonight will be the first time."

Oh. Things made more sense now.

Since the concert hall was two blocks from the restaurant, Niles and I took a leisurely walk over there when we finished eating. Niles got a wistful look on his face again.

"A penny for your thoughts, Dr. Crane?"

"I was thinking how pleasant it is for us to be out walking on such a beautiful night."

"It is lovely, isn't it?" I curled my arm around his companionably.

"This reminds me of what I've read about how Beethoven came to compose the Sixth. Frequently Beethoven would take long walks out in the country. He enjoyed the outdoors and nature. The Sixth is a tribute of sorts. All through the symphony different instruments imitate the sounds of nature."

"That's sweet, Dr. Crane." Suddenly a loud noise blared half-a-block away and startled us.

"Of course, Beethoven didn't incorporate a car horn into the piece. Perhaps we should be thankful he composed in the 1800s." We laughed as we arrived at the concert hall.

After I retrieved the stubs from the ticket collector, Niles and I looked at the seat locations. Placing his hand on my arm, he gasped.

"What is it, Dr. Crane? Something about the seats?"

"Oh, Daphne. We're overlooking the orchestra."

"You mean somewhere in the back?" Niles heard my voice drop and shook his head.

"Don't think it's bad, Daphne. On the contrary, we'll be sitting in the perfect place to watch the musicians and the conductor. We couldn't ask to sit in a better place." His face looked like that of a little boy at a candy store.

We made our way up to the balcony. It turned out that we had front row seats on stage right. As soon as we sat down, Niles fixed his gaze on the musicians tuning their instruments. His focus gave me a chance to observe him without his being aware. Niles' eyes flitted from one group of musicians to another. When a stage hand entered to move something, he took that in as well. When it seemed he had gotten his fill of the sights and sounds for the time being, I spoke.

"Does the concert hall look different tonight to you, Dr. Crane?"

"Actually, not that much. So far this could be any performance that I've attended. You'll notice they just set up the area in front where the featured violinist will be for the concerto. I'll be especially interested in how they set up the seating of the musicians at intermission."

"Why is that?"

"With the Sixth, one choice that a conductor makes is where to position certain instruments. The Sixth has sections where different instruments like a clarinet imitate songbirds. Sometimes they sit with the other musicians, sometimes the conductor brings them forward to highlight their role. I'd like to see them in the spotlight."

"Hopefully they'll be there."

"Something else I'll be looking for is the base section in the fourth movement."

"Why is that?"

"The fourth movement mimics a thunder storm that blows up suddenly. The base section has a central role in that passage."

"Dr. Crane, you certainly seem to know a lot about this symphony for someone who has never seen it performed in person."

Niles grinned.

"What can I say? I get obsessive about a lot of things."

A look of melancholy crossed Niles' face for a moment. In my mind I fantasized that he was thinking about me. But why should that be? He'd moved on and had Mel now. That thought sent a dagger of pain through me. I really needed to keep thoughts like that under control.

"How about the Tchaikovsky concerto?"

"I've never seen it in person before either, but I saw this violinist perform a Brahms concerto with the symphony two years ago. She's quite good."

Soon enough we received the signals that the performance was about to begin. The lights dimmed and the concertmaster took her seat to applause. After her the conductor and the guest violinist entered. The orchestra launched into the piece, and Niles leaned over the railing to better see the musicians.

Too soon the concerto was over, and the lights came up for intermission. Niles looked over to me.

"That was sublime, Daphne."

"Indeed, Dr. Crane. I especially loved how the violinist handled the second movement. The way she and the orchestra played off each other brought out the subtleties of that part."

Niles leaned back and regarded me. The edges of his mouth curled into an amused expression, and he raised an eyebrow.

"You surprise me with your critical eye, Daphne. I agree with you."

"See there. You and your brother aren't the only ones who know a little about classical music. I've heard my share over the years."

"Oh, look, Daphne!" The stage hands were bringing some seats forward to the center of the orchestra.

"Looks like the songbirds will be in the spotlight after all, Dr. Crane."

"We can only hope." Niles's eyes twinkled.

For the rest of the intermission we settled back into our comfortable chit-chat. As the time got closer for the second half to start though Niles began to fidget. He wore his anticipation on his face so clearly that I couldn't help but react in kind. The air between us became charged, but for Niles it was over music, not any heartfelt longing like on my part.

Heartfelt longing. Humph. I really needed to get my thoughts under control. To do so I decided to focus on Donny but then that made me realize something else - that was the first time all evening I had thought of my fiancé.

Once again the lights dimmed and now the orchestra primed for Beethoven's Sixth. And once again Niles leaned over to observe the musicians better, only he seemed to lean further. All noise in the concert hall ceased, and all eyes in the room focused on the conductor. With a slight bounce on his feet, the conductor launched the orchestra into the Sixth.

At the start Niles closed his eyes as he soaked in the music. His head swayed gently. When he reopened his eyes I watched him scan all the sections of the orchestra. After that his attention moved to the conductor.

When the songbirds entered the music he glanced at me and smiled.

The third movement went straight into the fourth movement, and it was everything Niles had told me it would be. The storm erupted suddenly, and you could feel the power of nature come through in every note. Then it happened.

The bass section took the drama even further; you could feel the fury of the storm wash over the hall. Niles did two things. First, he stretched over even further to look down on the bass players. Second, he grasped my hand. My hand! You could tell that he wasn't even thinking about holding my hand, but I didn't care. It thrilled me. To top it off, the electric charge between us had returned, transmitted through the touch of our hands. I held on tightly.

As the storm and fourth movement abated, Niles began to relax a little. He still held my hand though which was fine with me. The fifth and final movement provided quite a contrast to what we had just heard but it was no less powerful in its own way.

"Magnificent!"

When the symphony concluded Niles was the first in the hall to jump to his feet to applaud. His one word review rang out through the air.

"Bravo, bravo!"

Everyone else followed suit. I clapped until my hands felt raw. When the waves of applause at last petered out, Niles slumped in his seat. He had gone to another world.

While he was in his reverie, I took a good look at Niles again. I saw pure pleasure in his eyes, here was the little boy who had finally gotten to experience what he had always wanted to. I saw someone else too - the man who had come to mean so much to me. It stirred mixed feelings of joy and longing within me. Longing. There it was again.

Niles and I took our time to exit the building, as if we wanted to hold onto the last embers of excitement. The brisk air of the outside greeted us and brought us both back to the ebb and flow of normal life.

The drive back to the apartment took too little time. I hated to see our evening come to an end. Nonetheless we arrived back at Elliot Bay Towers and Niles escorted me up to the apartment. A sense of anticipation welled up inside me. Despite the engagement ring, despite Donny, despite Mel, I wanted Niles to kiss me. There, I said it to myself. Actually, there was more that I wanted him to do but I shoved those thoughts to the corner of the mind where the darker things lurked.

I opened the door to the apartment and we entered. The lights were low and Mr. Crane was nowhere to be seen. Niles got a mischievous tone in his voice.

"Well I guess your father didn't wait up for us. Does that mean I'm out of trouble?"

Niles confused me until I remembered Mr. Crane's parting words to us before we left.

"I suspect there's all sorts of trouble you could get into if you're of half a mind to do so." I replied.

I turned to face Niles and took a half step toward him. We were only inches apart. I slowly leaned forward and so did he. Never before had I wanted a kiss so much. Or a man so much. Forget the engagement ring, forget Donny Douglas, forget Mel Karnov...

"Ding-ding-ding!"

Oh bloody hell. Niles' cell phone chimed and the mood vanished. With dismay I saw him retrieve the phone from his pocket and look at the screen. With an unsteady hand he brought it to his ear. A shrill noise cut through the silence. I couldn't hear the words but did recognize the voice. Of course Niles' end of the conversation came through clearly.

"Darling. I thought you were staying another day at the conference...well I'm sorry your lecture didn't go as planned...yes, I had turned my cell phone off...alright, I'm headed out to the airport right now."

Niles' shoulders drooped and his head titled downward. What was that sadness that I saw come over him? Was it the same sadness that now pierced me? From somewhere within me I summoned up enough strength to force a smile.

"Well, Dr. Crane, it sounds like you're needed elsewhere. I just want to say..."

Niles silenced me when he leaned over and kissed...my cheek.

"Daphne, I had a lovely time. Please accept my apologies for having to rush away. I guess you heard that Mel returned from her conference sooner than expected. Goodnight, Daphne."

He turned and let himself out, leaving me alone in the dark.

"Goodnight, Niles," I said to the empty room.


	3. Chapter 3: Shuttle Service

*******Beethoven's Sixth*******

Summary: In Episode 7x15, "Out With Dad," Daphne shows a flicker of interest when it first appears that Niles and Mel will not be spending Valentine's Day together. What if Daphne and Niles went out the next day?

*******Author's Notes*******

I do not own the TV show Frasier. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. I get no compensation from it.

******* "Shuttle Service" - Niles' narration*******

"...they couldn't find the schematic until 30 seconds before I started...the handouts had a typo on page 36...slide 77 and slide 78 had been reversed...the ice water had all melted...somehow there was dog hair on my jacket...they didn't have thousand islands dressing...that hang nail bothered me all day..."

What a buzzkill, to use a term that my brother Frasier had latched onto.

"So Mel, I take it that things didn't go so well."

"Niles, haven't you been listening? Do I need to run through my list again?"

"No." Please, please, please let her just shut up.

"Anyway, the only good thing today was being able to get the last flight of the day back to Seattle. Thank you for picking me up."

"Uh-huh." That was not the right answer. Mel had expected a full-throated 'You're welcome' coming from my lips. Her eyes stared at me like laser beams.

"Did you have plans this evening, Niles?"

"I came to get you, didn't I?"

"You didn't answer me. Before you came to get me. I tried calling you five times. There was no answer. I'd just about given up."

The woman would not simply let things drop.

"I came and got you."

"As you said. What did you do before that?"

"I was enjoying myself." That came out cruel, but I was upset having to endure this conversation. First Mel showed anger, then something akin to fear.

"Do I have to share your affections?"

Over the years I had gotten better at telling when a nose bleed might erupt so I knew that everything I said next had to be true. I thought a moment and then I smiled.

"Yes, you do, Mel."

"Who is she?"

"She is Beethoven's Sixth Symphony. I knew the Sixth long before I knew you, and you'll just have to deal with that. I ended up with a ticket to that concert tonight."

That was a true statement. Thanks to Daphne, there was "a" ticket for me.

"How did you get a ticket?"

"Through my father. Those police force connections can come in handy sometimes."

Again, another true statement. Mel settled down and nodded off.

As I was driving my thoughts returned to the evening. Was I really about to kiss Daphne? Was she leaning toward me for a kiss? I shook off that crazy thought. It was good that Mel had called when she did. If I had tried to kiss Daphne, it would have ruined the evening and our friendship. And probably also gotten me slap in the face- which I would have deserved.

It was hard enough living with seeing her engaged to someone else, it would be hell on earth living without her friendship. That was one thing I couldn't do, I couldn't fall out of the good graces of my own personal goddess. Over the last few months I had worked hard to control my swirl of feelings for Daphne, and now I would just have to work harder. But still...

If all we were fated to be mere friends, then I wanted to impress on Daphne that I was the best friend she would ever have. And I knew just how to do it...


	4. Chapter 4: Playing a Hunch

*******Beethoven's Sixth*******

Summary: In Episode 7x15, "Out With Dad," Daphne shows a flicker of interest when it first appears that Niles and Mel will not be spending Valentine's Day together. What if Daphne and Niles went out the next day?

*******Author's Notes*******

I do not own the TV show Frasier. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. I get no compensation from it.

******* "Playing a Hunch" - Martin's narration*******

"Hey, Daph. Look what came while you were out."

Daphne walked in humming a tune I hadn't heard since Niles was a boy - the start of Beethoven's Sixth symphony. The morning after the concert, she went out to do some grocery shopping. While gone she received a special delivery I was only too glad to sign for.

"They're beautiful. There's at least two dozen roses in that vase. Who are they from?"

"I didn't open the card. The flowers were for you, not me." Ouch! That reminded me of Edward and Emily, an episode I wanted to forget as quickly as possible. Daphne picked up the vase and carried it with her into the kitchen to inspect it in private. While she was in the kitchen Duke called. I moved over to a seat at the dining table.

"Hey, Marty. Did you ever find those symphony tickets you were looking for?"

"Yeah. Got'em yesterday afternoon. In the nick of time too. I had to pay five times the face value though."

"Five times? You've never paid that much even for Seahawks tickets."

"I know, I know. But I was playing a hunch."

"How did it work out?"

"Don't know yet. You know sometimes a hunch doesn't pan out, sometimes it does, and sometimes it pans out but it takes awhile. I'll have to wait and see."

"I hope for your sake it works out."

Daphne came back out to the dining table with some food. She was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief as she set a sandwich down in front of me. What to make of her tears I didn't know. Then from under her arm she produced a jar - the whole jar! - of mayonnaise. Regular mayonnaise!

"Gotta go, Duke. Talk to you later."

Daphne smiled as she dabbed her eyes one last time.

"The next time you talk to Duke, thank him again for the tickets."

"Are you alright, Daphne?"

From her pocket she pulled out the note that had come with the flowers and put in front of me.

"I feel great. You can read this but don't you dare lose it. I'm going to put it with my new unicorn. By the way, I feel like a nice walk in the park this afternoon. I'm headed to my room to change shoes. Do you and Eddie want to join me? I'd love your company."

"We will, Daph. Let me eat my sandwich."

Daphne started back to her room but stopped and returned to the table. She bent over and kissed the top of my head.

"You and Mrs. Crane raised a fine man."

She turned and headed to her room again humming the Sixth symphony and leaving me with the note. I opened it and recognized the handwriting at once.

"_**My dearest Daphne,**_

_**Thank you for a wonderful evening.**_

_**I enjoyed the beauty of the violin in Tchaikovsky's concerto,**_

_**and certainly the beauty of nature in Beethoven's Sixth.**_

_**But everything else pales compared to the beauty of spending time with you.**_

_**Thank you most of all for that.**_

_**Always yours,**_

_**Niles"**_

I placed the note back in the envelope. Attaboy, Niles. Attaboy.

*******The End*******

*******Author's notes*******

Martin Crane, you sly dog!

In episode 6x22, "Visions of Daphne," Daphne gets engaged. Martin consoles Niles towards the end and says, "I'd do anything to fix this for you." It took almost a year, but Martin found his chance.

Reviews are always welcome and appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you!


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